Marion
Cunningham (1922–2012) started her professional career at age 50 after taking a
cooking class with James Beard. He was so impressed with her cooking that he
hired her as his assistant, a position she held for the next 11 years. On
Beard’s recommendation, Random House selected Cunningham to edit the 13th
edition of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook
(1979). Its success inspired Cunningham to write her own cookbooks, including
two for people who have never cooked before. Her dedication to home cooking led
former Gourmet
editor Ruth Reichl to proclaim, “If Beard was the father of American cooking,
Cunningham became its mother.” Speakers include Judith Jones,
senior editor and vice president, Knopf; Laura Shapiro, author of Something from the Oven;
and Anne Mendelson, author of Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages.
Moderated by New School Food Studies faculty member Andrew F. Smith.

The
Culinary Luminaries series celebrates outstanding figures in the world of food
and gastronomy. Past panels have been devoted to James Beard, Julia Child,
M.F.K. Fisher, Craig Claiborne, Joseph Baum, Clementine Paddleford, Pellegrino
Artusi, Robert Mondavi, and Henri Soulé.

Admission:
$5; free to all students and New School faculty, staff, and alumni with ID at the door or at the Box Office.

Box Office Information:

Single event purchases can be made online at any time at the New School Box Office. Series and discounted tickets must still be made in person or over the phone at The New School Box Office at 66 West 12th Street, main floor, Monday-Thursday 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., and Friday 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. The box office opens the first day of classes and closes after the last paid event of each semester. Reservations and inquiries can be made by emailing boxoffice@newschool.edu or calling 212.229.5488.

For events scheduled during the summer term, the box office will open one hour before each event.